UPDATE Gas Odor Report at Morris Heights Business Yields No Fire

By SILE MOLONEY

The FDNY confirmed no injuries were reported following a call received of a gas odor in the Morris Heights section of The Bronx. An FDNY official said the department responded to a caller who reported a gas odor on Jan. 13, at 11.46 a.m. at 1800 Cedar Avenue, where they found no injuries. The FDNY official said the department requested a utility company to follow-up. Norwood News has contacted Con Ed to check if they responded to the incident and will update this story upon receipt of feedback. Con Ed later confirmed that, according to their records, the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) shared its plans for the holiday weekend, which officials say may include snow/winter precipitation. As reported, some extreme weather is also forecast. DSNY officials said the forecast is still changing a bit, but the department is monitoring it closely and preparing for potential snow. Spreaders and plows, they said, are ready to be deployed, if necessary. Regarding collection of trash, recycling, compost and trees, this will be ongoing on Friday and Saturday. The department plans to transition to snow operation Sunday, and continue that work Monday. Residents are reminded that Monday is

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has advised of the following street and bridge closures in the Bronx from Jan. 14 to Feb. 14. East 144th Street between Gerard Avenue and Exterior Street: This street will be closed Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Jan. 31, to facilitate crane operation. East 146th Street between Gerard Avenue and Exterior Street/River Avenue: This street will be closed 24/7 through Jan. 31, for crawler crane operations. East 149th Street (service road) between Dead End and Exterior Street: This street will be closed Saturday from 8 a.m. to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney, Darcel D. Clark, announced on Friday, Jan. 14, that a former NYPD police officer has been sentenced to one to three years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his next-door neighbor in 2019. In the context of the sentencing, Clark said, “The 21-year-old victim was friends with the defendant, and both were playing soccer video games when the defendant’s off-duty firearm went off, striking the victim. The defendant, who had been a NYPD police officer for approximately one year, initially told investigators the victim was playing with the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The FDNY confirmed there were no injuries arising from an incident reported on Jan. 13, at Omar Gourmet Deli Corp in the Morris Heights section of The Bronx, located at 1800 Cedar Avenue. The alarm was raised at 11.46 a.m., following reports of a gas odor. Firefighters responded to the incident and requested a [gas] utility company response to the scene. Norwood News has followed up with the gas company for more information and will update this story accordingly.

UPDATE Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert Issued for The Bronx Has Been Cancelled

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A New York State alert issued in respect of a “Missing Vulnerable Adult,” and which related to a 25-year-old, White male who was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, grey sweats, and blue sneakers, has been cancelled. The alert was issued in respect of Jeremy Ramos, 25, from The Bronx at 6:02 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, but was later cancelled.

UPDATE DOB Urges Precaution Amid Expected Rain & High Winds, NWS Issues Coastal Flooding Alert

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) issued a weather advisory on Friday, Jan. 14, advising that the New York City area may experience severe weather, including potential intermittent wind gusts of up to 50 MPH, starting Jan. 14, and continuing into Monday, Jan. 17. Accordingly, DOB is reminding all builders, contractors, crane operators, and property owners to secure their construction sites, buildings, and equipment. Department officials said they will be performing random spot-check inspections of construction sites around the city. If sites are not secured, the department will take immediate enforcement action — issuing violations and Stop Work

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Bronx has been labelled the hardest hit borough. From a health perspective, though the number of actual deaths was not the highest in the City at 4,884 people, the borough’s COVID-19 death rate per head of population is the City’s highest, so far, at 0.34 percent. Staten Island’s COVID-19 death rate is 0.26 percent, Manhattan’s 0.20 percent, Brooklyn’s 0.30 percent, and Queens 0.33 percent. But the borough’s economy has suffered badly too. Last summer, as reported, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report and accompanying statement, substantiating the similarly harsh impact on its economy. “More

By DAVID GREENE

This week, amid the latest omicron variant wave, we asked readers about their recent experience of either getting tested on-site for COVID-19 or of waiting for free, home test kits. “I went to get tested because my granddaughter was COVID positive. I waited 48 hours before visiting the LevelUp Urgent Care on East 204th Street and lucky me I wasn’t cold, because it was a warm day. I was in line from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., but because I was negative, it didn’t mess up my plans. Some folks came with entire families and at 5:45 [a.m.] there were already twenty